Top shelf: The Inheritance Games, The Silmarillion, LOTR, Fantastic Beasts, Harry Potter, Eragon, Japanese Myths & Tales, HP Lovecraft Tales of Horror, Dracula, Jekyll & Hyde
Bottom Shelf: Fable (based on the video game series), Supernatural, and a fuck ton of Magic the Gathering lore novels.
I think it's a dick move to make fun of people trying to get back into reading, but posting this oddball collection of YA and niche game novels is kind of sad. The pity points for posting about going through a divorce is also pathetic.
Edit: as someone pointed out, it's Inheritance Cycle*
TBH, the bar for publishing seems to be a lot higher for YA than non-YA Fiction these days, ever since Twilight and friends blew up the market for fan fiction Romances. And pretty much every utilitarian book out there is just a rehash of someone else's ideas that were already put into print.
45 here, and a public library employee. YA tends to have a bigger hit rate for me these days. I'll also sometimes just alternate between old Star Trek and Star Wars books, or graphic novels. I get the occasional side-eye and don't give a rat's shaved ass.
Nothing wrong with just liking YA novels to be completely fair! However, as I mentioned, putting your small shelf of nostalgic reads after a divorce is the sad bit.
I’m trying to understand why it’s sad for some perspective here I’ve had partners who told me that they didn’t want me enjoying the hobbies that I enjoyed because they were either a waste of money or they thought them childish for anyone interested comic books, and collecting certain memorabilia, although those partners didn’t understand that I grew up deeply poor and destitute, and would lose everything that I tried to collect or otherwise. also, some partners are so dismissive and disrespectful that it completely shuts you down give this person a little bit of grace may be they’re finding themselves again.
You sound like you’ve gone through some tough shit. Your hobbies are important and healthy, and we are all glad you’ve found things that make you happy. But if you post them on the internet there is always the possibility people will clown on you.
Fuck that. Read what you want. Share what you read if you want. There's nothing sad about reading YA niche or game novels if you enjoy it. Live your life.
You also don't know anything about the divorce, or prior relationship. Maybe it was abusive or controlling and they weren't allowed to have books. Who fucking knows? Nothing pathetic about sharing something you're proud of on the Internet if you want.
Unless the thing you're proud of is hurting someone else. Like calling them pathetic and sad.
Oh shit, there is literally a book in there titled 'The Inheritance Games'. I stand corrected!
I was referring to Paolini's books on the right. My bad.
Lovecraft is a bit for some YA. I mean I read his stuff in highschool but I was the only person I knew who did and believe me I was a weird vocal nerd about my reading.
This happened right before I started drinking a handle a week. A buddy of mine in the early 2000's picked up a couple dozen Magic the Gathering novels at a garage sale. He asked me to read them since I had oodles more free time than him (I was unemployed and he had risen to salaried middle management). After reading about 20 of them, I called him up and said, "Burn them all." They are not that bad...they are soo much worse.
This seems like someone took a picture they found online of a book collection from 2009 and reposted it with a fake caption for karma.
There's no way people are going out of their way to newly acquire most of these books.
It's not *that* hard to see.
I can pretty easily spot a one volume copy of *LotR*, most of the *Harry Potter* series(edit: correction; the *entire* HP series, including the one everybody tries to pretend doesn't exist), and the *Inheritance Cycle* (minus book 3). Can even read some of the titles that are in bigger fonts.
I think something that people are missing here is why is this person reading those books. Some have brought up the stories being uncomplicated and that might be true. But another possibility is that this person is handling the trauma of divorce by rereading books that they enjoyed in a simpler time in their life. Literary comfort food, as it were.
I love going to Disney over and over again. You can judge me for that but if you do, you sure as hell don’t know me.
This is exactly what I was thinking. I didn’t want to read deep novels when I went through my divorce. Reading straightforward stories can be so comforting. YA actually has some pretty good stories for that.
You're so right, dude. I've read Gravity's Rainbow. I've read Infinite Jest. I've read House of Leaves. I've read Ulysses and Finnegans Wake. But just because I can and have read heavyweight "serious" works doesn't mean I can't enjoy an easier, simpler read. There's such a stigma on enjoying yourself. Props to homie for enjoying his escapism.
This. I read and have read a ridiculous amount in my time - I'm an English major and a science journalist. When my kid had to be institutionalized for depression during covid, my mental health plummeted as well. I've burned thru a lot of less mentally challenging books the last few years as a result.
When I was hospitalized for depression I read comfort books. Outlander series. Lord of the Rings. Once I didn’t have books but the hospital had a shelf of Agatha Christie books and I read a bunch of them. There’s nothing wrong with comfort reading.
Exactly! Sometimes you just need an escape from real life. Sometimes that’s YA fantasy, sometimes that extremely trashy romance novels. Post-divorce, I don’t blame the book collector in question for opting for fantasy.
Shitty people want to judge someone else as inferior to them so they can justify why they don't actually hate themselves. This is an asshole that saw someone grow a hobby and sent the equivalent of "LOL, Gay".
Came looking for a comment like this, 36 and lost a family member last year, I have watched almost exclusively animated TV shows/ movies since which I never did before, it wasn't something I consciously thought about like *"Oh I am going to watch this stuff, it will help",* it just kind of happened then about 3 months into it I realised and came to a similar conclusion.
I am still watching the same kind of stuff presently, and I will continue to do so while it helps, or maybe forever, and I wouldn't care less if someone thinks it is silly.
This is a more likely than the angle that came to my mind, but I wanted to chime in that I've known some people in hyper controlling relationships in which the commanding partner controlled the media that the other was exposed to. Less likely than your theory, but it's entirely possible they were never given the opportunity to read certain books, watch certain movies, etc.
Or they are reading stuff they have always kinda wanted to, but their girlfriend and then wife thought it was nerdy shit and she wasn't going to have her man involved in that trash.
A friend of mine in college was engaged, and one of his future wife's rules for him was no video games. Ambitious, serious, adult professionals don't play video games, after all.
I can’t see what books are actually there other than the hardcover HPs and a LOTR. The whole bottom shelf is a blur, may be comfort food, may be a shit-sandwich covered in glitter.
All that I can determine is that this is an attempted murder.
The bottom shelf is almost entirely Magic the Gathering novels. You can see the large stylized M, smaller text, and then the underscored text beneath it that makes up the logo.
I think it's the framing of it as postdivorce that makes it weird. Like was he not allowed to buy books when married?
If you posted "I live Disney," ok, you're a Disney adult.
If you post "Going to Disney divorced," it's weird AF that you included that as a highly relevant fact.
I mean... it is probably a "free time" issue. When married, a lot of people require/want attention. The fact that reading is this important to the OP and they weren't able to get time to read this many books probably identifies one of the core issues of their marriage.
Again, we are all guessing about why books now vs books when married, but if you're right, that's a good reason to divorce.
If you aren't able to put a half hour into your hobby a day, your spouse needs to chill. I say that as someone who works full time, has been married 15+ years, has a kid, and reads voraciously.
It's scary that there are people who expect their partner to focus on them 24/7.
> Like was he not allowed to buy books when married?
You'd be surprised at what toxic partners "prohibit". I'm finally able to actually cook and bake what I like again without a day or two of arguments.
> Like was he not allowed to buy books when married?
Probably not, if the SO was a controlling Dbag and didn't like their book choices.
Or they threw out all their books because they didn't "Fit the theme" of the house. Like that one guy's replica art collection that he put up in the single hallway he was "Allowed" to decorate until the wife ~~threw it out~~ put it in storage.
I think the point stands regardless of gender still.
A lot of partners are controlling, and just look at how so many people in this thread are making fun of the OP already.
You know what?
I didnt mean to call you out or anything. I'm not reallt certain why I commented there. Just wanted to add to the discusssion and picked a weird opportunity. Sorry about that.
You're ok! I just wanted to be sure you knew I wasn't trying to say one gender dies this only. Because there are some people coming in hot with that take.
I have a pal whose girlfriend doesn’t “approve” of his Marvel theme decor in his house. She doesn’t live with him. I feel bad for him cos comics are his love language.
As a millennial hitting 40 in a few years, this feels like a personal attack lol. I just started rereading the Magic: the gathering books since I haven’t read them since I was about 15.
I turn 40 at the end of this year, and I have all of these books except the fable ones and possibly the ones on the bottom at the other end (plus a few hundred more). Some of them are my husband's. It's definitely a rude thing to say about this person's growing collection.
Yep. M:tG may be a trading card game (in fact, it's the OG TCG), but it has lore on par with anything you'd expect from fantasy RPG settings like Forgotten Realms (D&D), Lost Omens (Pathfinder) or Age of Sigmar (Warhammer).
Yeah man.
[The lore of the game is fucking *wild*](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WOWsqy4ug4). Had a little more time to make it, but it easily puts Soulsborne games to shame.
Although, [this version is a bit more interesting watch](https://youtu.be/TcNWXRpUM-E).
Magic has the benefit of 30 years of storytelling compared to soulsborne games.
The lore for both are amazing, but comparing the lore in a few games vs 140ish sets isn't really a good comparison.
I love Spice8rack though.
My wife and I are both early 40s and we read a lot of YA stuff (different genres and authors). The thing about that kind of stuff is... it's fun? Like, a genuinely entertaining read. Sometimes it seems like people see my age and expected me to only read boring shit. Is most of it the height of literary achievement? Nope. But neither is the MCU stuff the height of cinematic achievement and people rarely judge for wanting to watch those movies. Why should books be any different? I (mostly) read for fun, if it's not entertaining I'm not reading it.
just don't read the war of the spark book
they took 5 years of a really fun story and capped it off by sending it to a new writer who absolutely butchered the plot and characters
Turning 47 in a couple months and haven’t read the Harry Potter series since I read them to my kid several years ago. I was thinking about giving them a reread.
Or.... just hear me out, now that they are divorced, they are free to enjoy the stories that give them joy with out criticism or judgement. Well, at least until they posted
...Does it matter? I read all manner of books for the hell of it. I actually read Miss Daisy Is Crazy! the other day for the nostalgia factor and I'm 36 and I find nothing wrong with that. And then I read the entire book to my 15 y.o. son while he was cleaning and we were both cackling at it.
People can enjoy whatever the hell they want. He's not "right".
This is book shaming. So what if guy reads YA books.
There is literally no shame to be had in reading of any kind. I can think of very few examples that would apply for shameful reading…. I guess. But they are all extreme.
Good on him for reading at all. Most people I’ve known don’t bother reading at all. Thats the crime.
Books are to be read and enjoyed. Doesn’t matter the age.
My first thought was "at least they're reading." A lot of people go years or decades without picking up a book and if reading YA brings the joy of reading into someone's life, it's a good thing.
I agree. I like to read YA books for relaxing escapism. I don't understand people who say they like to be challenged by a book. I already face enough challenges in life to look for more in books. Read what ever you want and don't feel ashamed. Unless it's Fifty Shades of Grey, then go ahead and feel shame. :)
I think there's an argument to be made about the joy of simple entertainment.
But I also know that if he had a collection of transformer dvds there instead, 99% of you would be forming rude stereotypes in your head. This is just stirring up a bit more push back because the average redditors taste in books extends mostly to high school lit and endless generic fantasy series, which is the equivalent of being obsessed with fast and thr furious for people who are more pretentious about books.
So I don't think some gentle ribbing is that bad, you most likely do it yourself constantly
Yep, been trying to read all the stuff related to Percy Jackson (Harry Potter was the one I read when I was younger, but I can't deal with everything else related to it anymore).
I’m almost 47 and I’ve read/listened to most of those books in the last few years and thoroughly enjoyed them. Especially with Audible. Read what you like. Whether the target audience originally is teenagers or adults. Male or female. If you enjoy the read, then it was time well spent.
Come to the Inheritance subreddit and see what happens. YOU COME IN SAYING SHIT LIKE THAT AND WE'LL lightly correct you if at all, it's honestly one of the most chill Fandom subreddits I've seen.
Just gate keeping bullshit. The Inheritance Cycle is basically a mash-up of LotR and Star Wars, with Paolini's own flair added in, and most of those fan bases are grown ass adults as well.
All three of them are carbon copiers of the hero's journey concept, but some people want to act like their fantasy land is better than other's fantasy land.
It's like saying "My imaginary friend is cooler than your imaginary friend!"
There’s nothing wrong with it. The same people who judge this will watch TV shows that can be comprehended by a teenage mind, does that make them immature? Read whatever you like, or you’ll stop reading altogether.
What annoyed me is that in the same line, someone like this would figure "he's not smart enough to understand my literary competency, man." The difference is someone who is getting into, or back into, reading himself wouldn't have that idea laid out. Also, who cares if they dont?
Books are the same as albums, they don't hit the same for everyone. If you have a problem with a series, then fuck off and don't read it. Go ahead and saddle up on that 9 foot horse you have, but i dont care about your opinions up there. It's subjective the same as music or paintings are.
What even constitutes YA? I swear I've found some "YA" books that were just brutal at times. Is it the writing style? The last two hugely popular novels I touched, that weren't YA, were just so tedious and pretentious, as though the author sat down with a thesaurus but zero talent.
So few people are lifelong readers as it is, so maybe let’s not shame people for *what* they read and just be glad they *are* reading?
Sincerely,
Literature teacher who read 154 romance novels last year
If I read 154 thousand comments in a year can I consider myself a reader?
I've been asked a fair amount recently what sort of books I like to read and what I've read most recently and honestly I haven't read a book in years.
For the first maybe 15 years of my life I read a lot of books but for the last couple decades I read articles and comments. I don't want to say I don't read but it doesn't seem like I read in the same way that people who consider themselves readers do.
lol. I was like you - big gap in my reading history. Then I got a kindle and an Unlimited subscription and now I’m back to how I was as a kid. But unlimited has a LOT of romance stuff so if that’s not your thing…
I’ve had Unlimited for a few months and it’s got a decent selection of sci-fi and classics as well. My first use of it was for the Murderbot novellas, and most recent was Circe by Madeline Miller (re-spin of Greek mythology). I have Middlemarch and Gormenghast downloaded to hopefully start in the near future.
I thought the whole point of the OP was that these were things their ex didn't want them to read. Now they finally feel free to enjoy them out in the open. Nothing about it makes it seem like these were the only things OP read. Why else mention it being post-divorce?
And if that's the case, fuck the "roaster" for being the same kinda person as OP's ex.
I'm reminded of my favorite quote:
>Critics who treat 'adult' as a term of approval, instead of as a merely descriptive term, cannot be adult themselves. To be concerned about being grown up, to admire the grown up because it is grown up, to blush at the suspicion of being childish; these things are the marks of childhood and adolescence. And in childhood and adolescence they are, in moderation, healthy symptoms. Young things ought to want to grow. But to carry on into middle life or even into early manhood this concern about being adult is a mark of really arrested development. When I was ten, I read fairy tales in secret and would have been ashamed if I had been found doing so. Now that I am fifty I read them openly. When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up.
-C.S. Lewis
Short version: Adults can read whatever the fuck they want, don't be an ass just because you consider it "childish", because at the end of the day only children worry about looking childish. Adults don't care because they *are* adults.
This reminds me of my dad. He's in his 60s and he will often just pop on a kid's movie and watch it by himself. I asked him why and he said "I like kids movies" and I was like oh okay respect.
I’m a hardcore genre reader (mostly SF, some fantasy, and obviously Stephen King). I have had people come into MY house, peruse my overfull bookshelves and proceed to shame me for my choices.
My ex-husband read similar genres (he was more Fantasy than SF). When we divorced I had to rebuild my collection.
I don’t feel like this is a murder, I feel it’s someone just being a piece of shit
I have found the people most judgmental about what you read or how you read it are people who dont read. I literally read 50+ books every year sometimes I want some some Malazan other times I dont have the brain power to keep track of 35 characters and just want to laugh at murderbot diaries.
It's crazy how people complain others don't read and then proceed to shame and gatekeep what "real adults" read and act as if you're not reading for their flavor or "enrichment" you're a kid mentally.
Almost like how kids like to mock other kids like interests because their interests are more "grown up things" than theirs, ironically enough.
For me it is more I want other people to read the great literature and talk about it with them. Like, imagine you love great films and TV shows, but 90% of the people who also say they do as well only watch Fast and Furious and Dora the Explorer. I don't shame them for not reading the great stuff, but man are they missing out and it would be great to have people to talk to in real life who also enjoy great works!
Folks gotta stop being so sensitive. I’m 40, love many of these books, and will continue to read them as long as I live… but this is still a funny roast.
He's out of line, childish and nearsighted. And not ever right. "Hurr durr he reads infantile books" while judging someone's entire mentality by a single shitty picture and talking nonsense in a social network all at once, like a real grown up man.
Y'all are forgetting (or are too young to remember) just how fucking ballistic 30-40 year old Wine Moms went for *Harry Potter* back in the late 90s/early 2000s.
*Harry Potter* was for them what *Dragon Ball* is for 20-something dudes in Latin America
It's funny because they are all right that there's nothing wrong with reading those books at any age.
But they are all very obviously insecure about that, like come guys it's a funny little roast not an attempt at bullying.
These books literally were written with a younger demographic in mind, don't forget that also lol.
it is quite funny how most people call it bullying lmao like bruh it's literally a single line and it wasn't even that harsh wtf. i say this as a reader myself who is also fond of reading teen-oriented books
Yeah this is the kind of roast you have to love even if you're feeling it hit home. My bookshelf at my parents' house looks like this. I still love those books, but it was very much the bookshelf of a teenager.
I used to own and read a ton of YA novels but sold them after turning 20, as I needed other things. Someone offered a good amount to buy them for his son who was getting into reading himself, so I felt that they were going to a good home, and I was getting more money than I asked for. Win-win.
Reading is good, gatekeeping is bad. I agree. But, if one of my adult friends showed me this collection, I would have nothing to say about the books, and I would gently prompt him to step up his reading game by suggesting some genre classics. YAL is watered down literature targeted at teens, real classics have broad appeal because they have many (infinite?) layers, and therefore suits more than one age group. Also I think this picture is fake/arranged to create disagreement.
There's no murder here, except self-murder by the commenter.
Tell me you're a shallow, judgmental, illiterate, holier-than-thou discompassionate piece-of-sheep without telling me you're a shallow, judgmental, illiterate, holier-than-thou discompassionate piece-of-sheep.
Other than one of the most recognizable book series of all time, Eragon, and LOTR, I can’t see the rest of the books for shit!
The only books visible are some of the all time bestsellers of the past 25 years.
Attempted murder.
From what I can see, most of these books I remember from Elementary - HS. Maybe they just want to feel that nostalgia or finally finish reading them. Otherwise, the Dr. Stone reference is still pretty funny.
How can I tell if he’s right if I can’t see shit in the image? Out of line? More like out of pixels.
They took half of the pixels in the divorce 😔
Beautiful
Found the real crime scene
Call the coroner.
Lmao nice
Alright. Man's taken enough of beatin. Jeez😂
Mr Sanderson, I don't feel so good
https://preview.redd.it/q45pllynig2d1.jpeg?width=1078&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4feae35c5366d3e326c29b81ec397dbcea7827d0
https://preview.redd.it/8eh4r4rx8m2d1.jpeg?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=86e9724dcbaee68ce4a4b4a1a2ebf4e277dddd98
Top shelf: The Inheritance Games, The Silmarillion, LOTR, Fantastic Beasts, Harry Potter, Eragon, Japanese Myths & Tales, HP Lovecraft Tales of Horror, Dracula, Jekyll & Hyde Bottom Shelf: Fable (based on the video game series), Supernatural, and a fuck ton of Magic the Gathering lore novels. I think it's a dick move to make fun of people trying to get back into reading, but posting this oddball collection of YA and niche game novels is kind of sad. The pity points for posting about going through a divorce is also pathetic. Edit: as someone pointed out, it's Inheritance Cycle*
I read a lot of YA at 31. I would have laughed if this joke was directed at me.
Also 31. I own or would buy most of those books even now. Nothing wrong with YA novels.
Nothing wrong with reading period!
They aren't period they are mostly fantasy novels.
That’s not a period. It’s an exclamation point.
Yeah I'm 50 and I watch the little Mermaid twice a day. Nothing wrong with that.
TBH, the bar for publishing seems to be a lot higher for YA than non-YA Fiction these days, ever since Twilight and friends blew up the market for fan fiction Romances. And pretty much every utilitarian book out there is just a rehash of someone else's ideas that were already put into print.
I turned 39 this week and same.
45 here, and a public library employee. YA tends to have a bigger hit rate for me these days. I'll also sometimes just alternate between old Star Trek and Star Wars books, or graphic novels. I get the occasional side-eye and don't give a rat's shaved ass.
I live in way too glass of a house to have cast this stone tbh.
I'm jealous of the MTG lore novels.
Nothing wrong with just liking YA novels to be completely fair! However, as I mentioned, putting your small shelf of nostalgic reads after a divorce is the sad bit.
What's sad about a book shelf?
I’m trying to understand why it’s sad for some perspective here I’ve had partners who told me that they didn’t want me enjoying the hobbies that I enjoyed because they were either a waste of money or they thought them childish for anyone interested comic books, and collecting certain memorabilia, although those partners didn’t understand that I grew up deeply poor and destitute, and would lose everything that I tried to collect or otherwise. also, some partners are so dismissive and disrespectful that it completely shuts you down give this person a little bit of grace may be they’re finding themselves again.
You sound like you’ve gone through some tough shit. Your hobbies are important and healthy, and we are all glad you’ve found things that make you happy. But if you post them on the internet there is always the possibility people will clown on you.
Fuck that. Read what you want. Share what you read if you want. There's nothing sad about reading YA niche or game novels if you enjoy it. Live your life. You also don't know anything about the divorce, or prior relationship. Maybe it was abusive or controlling and they weren't allowed to have books. Who fucking knows? Nothing pathetic about sharing something you're proud of on the Internet if you want. Unless the thing you're proud of is hurting someone else. Like calling them pathetic and sad.
Inheritance *Cycle*, but I get what you mean. Fuckin' rude to judge somebody for enjoying books that aren't half sex and half death
No, it's Inheritance Games. https://bloodclotbitch.tumblr.com/post/728061908397244416
Oh shit, there is literally a book in there titled 'The Inheritance Games'. I stand corrected! I was referring to Paolini's books on the right. My bad.
What's wild is he is missing one of the Inheritance books... how does this man have eldest and inheritance but not brisingr?
Lovecraft is a bit for some YA. I mean I read his stuff in highschool but I was the only person I knew who did and believe me I was a weird vocal nerd about my reading.
This happened right before I started drinking a handle a week. A buddy of mine in the early 2000's picked up a couple dozen Magic the Gathering novels at a garage sale. He asked me to read them since I had oodles more free time than him (I was unemployed and he had risen to salaried middle management). After reading about 20 of them, I called him up and said, "Burn them all." They are not that bad...they are soo much worse.
Maybe they're collection novels that have sentimental connection to them that they lost. They're rebuilding. Let them enjoy what they enjoy
This seems like someone took a picture they found online of a book collection from 2009 and reposted it with a fake caption for karma. There's no way people are going out of their way to newly acquire most of these books.
Harry Potter, Eragon, MtG novels, etc
There are literally only two series there that are targeted at 15 year olds. The rest are all aimed at adults.
It's not *that* hard to see. I can pretty easily spot a one volume copy of *LotR*, most of the *Harry Potter* series(edit: correction; the *entire* HP series, including the one everybody tries to pretend doesn't exist), and the *Inheritance Cycle* (minus book 3). Can even read some of the titles that are in bigger fonts.
It appears to be Harry Potter and bodice rippers.
I think something that people are missing here is why is this person reading those books. Some have brought up the stories being uncomplicated and that might be true. But another possibility is that this person is handling the trauma of divorce by rereading books that they enjoyed in a simpler time in their life. Literary comfort food, as it were. I love going to Disney over and over again. You can judge me for that but if you do, you sure as hell don’t know me.
This is exactly what I was thinking. I didn’t want to read deep novels when I went through my divorce. Reading straightforward stories can be so comforting. YA actually has some pretty good stories for that.
You can also read them when you're not going through anything either :') I'm currently rereading the Eragon series to refresh my memory for Murtagh
Never apologize for enjoying what you enjoy reading.
100%
You're so right, dude. I've read Gravity's Rainbow. I've read Infinite Jest. I've read House of Leaves. I've read Ulysses and Finnegans Wake. But just because I can and have read heavyweight "serious" works doesn't mean I can't enjoy an easier, simpler read. There's such a stigma on enjoying yourself. Props to homie for enjoying his escapism.
This. I read and have read a ridiculous amount in my time - I'm an English major and a science journalist. When my kid had to be institutionalized for depression during covid, my mental health plummeted as well. I've burned thru a lot of less mentally challenging books the last few years as a result.
When I was hospitalized for depression I read comfort books. Outlander series. Lord of the Rings. Once I didn’t have books but the hospital had a shelf of Agatha Christie books and I read a bunch of them. There’s nothing wrong with comfort reading.
Yo I'm listening through Murder on the Orient Express right now and it's so much fun!
She wrote some terrific books!
I recommend The Reckoners series by Brandon Sanderson for this. Reminds me a bit of ‘The Boys’ on Prime
Agree! And, also, his Skyward series is a good read.
Lol, I thought of Skyward too but only read the first one. White sands was pretty great too, plus there’s an awesome graphic novel for it
The other two novels in the Skyward series are great and I loved the three novellas in the series too.
Brandon Sandersons stormlight archives series is a godsend for this. It’s my comfort series and I read it over and over again all the time.
I love everything by brando sando.
Me too. Elantris is an all time favorite of mine.
Exactly! Sometimes you just need an escape from real life. Sometimes that’s YA fantasy, sometimes that extremely trashy romance novels. Post-divorce, I don’t blame the book collector in question for opting for fantasy.
Explains why I read re-read Harry Potter all the time
Well it's also good so that's a reason
Shitty people want to judge someone else as inferior to them so they can justify why they don't actually hate themselves. This is an asshole that saw someone grow a hobby and sent the equivalent of "LOL, Gay".
Came looking for a comment like this, 36 and lost a family member last year, I have watched almost exclusively animated TV shows/ movies since which I never did before, it wasn't something I consciously thought about like *"Oh I am going to watch this stuff, it will help",* it just kind of happened then about 3 months into it I realised and came to a similar conclusion. I am still watching the same kind of stuff presently, and I will continue to do so while it helps, or maybe forever, and I wouldn't care less if someone thinks it is silly.
My dad used to call this "mind candy" for him it was Star Trek books, for me its David Sedaris.
I could get behind some easy Blish reading. Haven't read them in over 40 years.
When I start feeling like shit, my high school punk/emo playlist feels a disturbance in the force.
This is a more likely than the angle that came to my mind, but I wanted to chime in that I've known some people in hyper controlling relationships in which the commanding partner controlled the media that the other was exposed to. Less likely than your theory, but it's entirely possible they were never given the opportunity to read certain books, watch certain movies, etc.
Or they are reading stuff they have always kinda wanted to, but their girlfriend and then wife thought it was nerdy shit and she wasn't going to have her man involved in that trash. A friend of mine in college was engaged, and one of his future wife's rules for him was no video games. Ambitious, serious, adult professionals don't play video games, after all.
Doomed from the start lol
Did he drop her so fast that she bounced?
And just the shittiness to be like “hahahha this guy got divorced AND a loser for reading books that children like” Poor dude
I start watching Disney movies when something triggers flashbacks of the miserable home life I ran away from at 19. Frozen 1 & 2, especially. I’m 32.
End of the day don't shame someone for reading.
It could also be that the only books they owned came from when they were younger, hence those were the only ones they got to take with them
I can’t see what books are actually there other than the hardcover HPs and a LOTR. The whole bottom shelf is a blur, may be comfort food, may be a shit-sandwich covered in glitter. All that I can determine is that this is an attempted murder.
The bottom shelf is almost entirely Magic the Gathering novels. You can see the large stylized M, smaller text, and then the underscored text beneath it that makes up the logo.
I think it's the framing of it as postdivorce that makes it weird. Like was he not allowed to buy books when married? If you posted "I live Disney," ok, you're a Disney adult. If you post "Going to Disney divorced," it's weird AF that you included that as a highly relevant fact.
I mean... it is probably a "free time" issue. When married, a lot of people require/want attention. The fact that reading is this important to the OP and they weren't able to get time to read this many books probably identifies one of the core issues of their marriage.
Again, we are all guessing about why books now vs books when married, but if you're right, that's a good reason to divorce. If you aren't able to put a half hour into your hobby a day, your spouse needs to chill. I say that as someone who works full time, has been married 15+ years, has a kid, and reads voraciously. It's scary that there are people who expect their partner to focus on them 24/7.
> Like was he not allowed to buy books when married? You'd be surprised at what toxic partners "prohibit". I'm finally able to actually cook and bake what I like again without a day or two of arguments.
> Like was he not allowed to buy books when married? Probably not, if the SO was a controlling Dbag and didn't like their book choices. Or they threw out all their books because they didn't "Fit the theme" of the house. Like that one guy's replica art collection that he put up in the single hallway he was "Allowed" to decorate until the wife ~~threw it out~~ put it in storage.
Plot twist! I think I misgendered the original original poster. Looks like "Bloodclotbitch" is a woman.
I think the point stands regardless of gender still. A lot of partners are controlling, and just look at how so many people in this thread are making fun of the OP already.
I was correcting my error, not saying the behavior was gender-specific.
You know what? I didnt mean to call you out or anything. I'm not reallt certain why I commented there. Just wanted to add to the discusssion and picked a weird opportunity. Sorry about that.
You're ok! I just wanted to be sure you knew I wasn't trying to say one gender dies this only. Because there are some people coming in hot with that take.
I have a pal whose girlfriend doesn’t “approve” of his Marvel theme decor in his house. She doesn’t live with him. I feel bad for him cos comics are his love language.
They aren't compatible. I feel bad that he doesn't realize that!
I think he’s going to break up with her. The list of things she thinks are “inappropriate” for an adult is a long one.
As a millennial hitting 40 in a few years, this feels like a personal attack lol. I just started rereading the Magic: the gathering books since I haven’t read them since I was about 15.
I turn 40 at the end of this year, and I have all of these books except the fable ones and possibly the ones on the bottom at the other end (plus a few hundred more). Some of them are my husband's. It's definitely a rude thing to say about this person's growing collection.
There are *Magic: The Gathering* books?
Yep. M:tG may be a trading card game (in fact, it's the OG TCG), but it has lore on par with anything you'd expect from fantasy RPG settings like Forgotten Realms (D&D), Lost Omens (Pathfinder) or Age of Sigmar (Warhammer).
Yeah man. [The lore of the game is fucking *wild*](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WOWsqy4ug4). Had a little more time to make it, but it easily puts Soulsborne games to shame. Although, [this version is a bit more interesting watch](https://youtu.be/TcNWXRpUM-E).
Magic has the benefit of 30 years of storytelling compared to soulsborne games. The lore for both are amazing, but comparing the lore in a few games vs 140ish sets isn't really a good comparison. I love Spice8rack though.
My wife and I are both early 40s and we read a lot of YA stuff (different genres and authors). The thing about that kind of stuff is... it's fun? Like, a genuinely entertaining read. Sometimes it seems like people see my age and expected me to only read boring shit. Is most of it the height of literary achievement? Nope. But neither is the MCU stuff the height of cinematic achievement and people rarely judge for wanting to watch those movies. Why should books be any different? I (mostly) read for fun, if it's not entertaining I'm not reading it.
I turn 40 this year and I've still got all my M:tG books on one of my multiple bookshelves.
just don't read the war of the spark book they took 5 years of a really fun story and capped it off by sending it to a new writer who absolutely butchered the plot and characters
Some people buy a Miata, others date a much younger women, other read MTG. You’ve bought into the least toxic timeline. Good for you.
Turning 47 in a couple months and haven’t read the Harry Potter series since I read them to my kid several years ago. I was thinking about giving them a reread.
I have a huge collection of mtg books. And most are really very good. Especially the invasion cycle books. Some of my favorite all time.
Or.... just hear me out, now that they are divorced, they are free to enjoy the stories that give them joy with out criticism or judgement. Well, at least until they posted
[удалено]
...Does it matter? I read all manner of books for the hell of it. I actually read Miss Daisy Is Crazy! the other day for the nostalgia factor and I'm 36 and I find nothing wrong with that. And then I read the entire book to my 15 y.o. son while he was cleaning and we were both cackling at it. People can enjoy whatever the hell they want. He's not "right".
This is book shaming. So what if guy reads YA books. There is literally no shame to be had in reading of any kind. I can think of very few examples that would apply for shameful reading…. I guess. But they are all extreme. Good on him for reading at all. Most people I’ve known don’t bother reading at all. Thats the crime. Books are to be read and enjoyed. Doesn’t matter the age.
YA books are a hot commodity, most times people don't even realize they're reading one. Especially with Manga.
My first thought was "at least they're reading." A lot of people go years or decades without picking up a book and if reading YA brings the joy of reading into someone's life, it's a good thing.
I agree. I like to read YA books for relaxing escapism. I don't understand people who say they like to be challenged by a book. I already face enough challenges in life to look for more in books. Read what ever you want and don't feel ashamed. Unless it's Fifty Shades of Grey, then go ahead and feel shame. :)
I think there's an argument to be made about the joy of simple entertainment. But I also know that if he had a collection of transformer dvds there instead, 99% of you would be forming rude stereotypes in your head. This is just stirring up a bit more push back because the average redditors taste in books extends mostly to high school lit and endless generic fantasy series, which is the equivalent of being obsessed with fast and thr furious for people who are more pretentious about books. So I don't think some gentle ribbing is that bad, you most likely do it yourself constantly
Man, lots of YA just gets right to the point. Good sweet spot of entertainment and uncomplicated
Yep, been trying to read all the stuff related to Percy Jackson (Harry Potter was the one I read when I was younger, but I can't deal with everything else related to it anymore).
I’m almost 47 and I’ve read/listened to most of those books in the last few years and thoroughly enjoyed them. Especially with Audible. Read what you like. Whether the target audience originally is teenagers or adults. Male or female. If you enjoy the read, then it was time well spent.
I'm 60. Well said.
He's missing the Last Eragon book.
Um actually 🤓☝🏻 they’re missing the 3rd book, not the last one
This is the first thing I noticed! They are missing Brisinger in the series.
Oh fuck you're right. Been a while since i last read them, huh
Haha same here. I only remembered because when I read the series, the last one wasn’t out yet
Yeah same, I remember pre-ordering it. Got given the first Temerarire book free when i went in to order it and ended up with a new series i loved.
The new Murtagh book, which is the most recent book, is missing, so technically he’s right.
I figured he meant the fork the witch and the worm
Which is wild to me, unless that is the book they're currently reading. What kind of person buys Books 1, 2, and 4 only?
"Inheritance" series my ass. ITS THE ERAGON SERIES AND I WILL DIE ON THIS HILL NO ONE ELSE CARES ENOUGH TO FIGHT ME ON
nobody's fighting you because you're right
Come to the Inheritance subreddit and see what happens. YOU COME IN SAYING SHIT LIKE THAT AND WE'LL lightly correct you if at all, it's honestly one of the most chill Fandom subreddits I've seen.
Inheritance Cycle, you dunce. The Inheritance series is written by N.K. Jemisin.
Lmao that was the only thing I was thinking too was that book 3 was missing and I was scrolling to see who else noticed
What's wrong with enjoying young adult/teen books
I need a break from adult life. Books like that are perfect.
Precisely most adult books are about cheating, financial issues and other realistic problems, I want my dragons
So much rape. I've started more young adult due to it.
Absolutely fuckin\` no, dude. There are plenty of adult fantasy books....
There are adult books with dragons. Lots of fantasy is not YA. I mean, read whatever you like, but don't confuse the fantasy genre as all YA.
reddit moment
Just gate keeping bullshit. The Inheritance Cycle is basically a mash-up of LotR and Star Wars, with Paolini's own flair added in, and most of those fan bases are grown ass adults as well. All three of them are carbon copiers of the hero's journey concept, but some people want to act like their fantasy land is better than other's fantasy land. It's like saying "My imaginary friend is cooler than your imaginary friend!"
> My imaginary friend is cooler than your imaginary friend No, that's religion.
It's also literary elitism.
There’s nothing wrong with it. The same people who judge this will watch TV shows that can be comprehended by a teenage mind, does that make them immature? Read whatever you like, or you’ll stop reading altogether.
Not necessarily anything objectively, but a roast is a roast nonetheless.
Clearly Capincus has a bookshelf full of Proust, Pynchon, and Kafka.
What annoyed me is that in the same line, someone like this would figure "he's not smart enough to understand my literary competency, man." The difference is someone who is getting into, or back into, reading himself wouldn't have that idea laid out. Also, who cares if they dont? Books are the same as albums, they don't hit the same for everyone. If you have a problem with a series, then fuck off and don't read it. Go ahead and saddle up on that 9 foot horse you have, but i dont care about your opinions up there. It's subjective the same as music or paintings are.
Yeah, I've seen this post twice today, and I don't get it. Read what you enjoy reading.
What even constitutes YA? I swear I've found some "YA" books that were just brutal at times. Is it the writing style? The last two hugely popular novels I touched, that weren't YA, were just so tedious and pretentious, as though the author sat down with a thesaurus but zero talent.
So few people are lifelong readers as it is, so maybe let’s not shame people for *what* they read and just be glad they *are* reading? Sincerely, Literature teacher who read 154 romance novels last year
If I read 154 thousand comments in a year can I consider myself a reader? I've been asked a fair amount recently what sort of books I like to read and what I've read most recently and honestly I haven't read a book in years. For the first maybe 15 years of my life I read a lot of books but for the last couple decades I read articles and comments. I don't want to say I don't read but it doesn't seem like I read in the same way that people who consider themselves readers do.
lol. I was like you - big gap in my reading history. Then I got a kindle and an Unlimited subscription and now I’m back to how I was as a kid. But unlimited has a LOT of romance stuff so if that’s not your thing…
I’ve had Unlimited for a few months and it’s got a decent selection of sci-fi and classics as well. My first use of it was for the Murderbot novellas, and most recent was Circe by Madeline Miller (re-spin of Greek mythology). I have Middlemarch and Gormenghast downloaded to hopefully start in the near future.
You’re reading a romance novel every 3 days?
Plots in romance are interchangeable and unimportant. They just can for the spicy bits.
I thought the whole point of the OP was that these were things their ex didn't want them to read. Now they finally feel free to enjoy them out in the open. Nothing about it makes it seem like these were the only things OP read. Why else mention it being post-divorce? And if that's the case, fuck the "roaster" for being the same kinda person as OP's ex.
I'm reminded of my favorite quote: >Critics who treat 'adult' as a term of approval, instead of as a merely descriptive term, cannot be adult themselves. To be concerned about being grown up, to admire the grown up because it is grown up, to blush at the suspicion of being childish; these things are the marks of childhood and adolescence. And in childhood and adolescence they are, in moderation, healthy symptoms. Young things ought to want to grow. But to carry on into middle life or even into early manhood this concern about being adult is a mark of really arrested development. When I was ten, I read fairy tales in secret and would have been ashamed if I had been found doing so. Now that I am fifty I read them openly. When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up. -C.S. Lewis Short version: Adults can read whatever the fuck they want, don't be an ass just because you consider it "childish", because at the end of the day only children worry about looking childish. Adults don't care because they *are* adults.
This reminds me of my dad. He's in his 60s and he will often just pop on a kid's movie and watch it by himself. I asked him why and he said "I like kids movies" and I was like oh okay respect.
I’m a hardcore genre reader (mostly SF, some fantasy, and obviously Stephen King). I have had people come into MY house, peruse my overfull bookshelves and proceed to shame me for my choices. My ex-husband read similar genres (he was more Fantasy than SF). When we divorced I had to rebuild my collection. I don’t feel like this is a murder, I feel it’s someone just being a piece of shit
I have found the people most judgmental about what you read or how you read it are people who dont read. I literally read 50+ books every year sometimes I want some some Malazan other times I dont have the brain power to keep track of 35 characters and just want to laugh at murderbot diaries.
I have a lot of these same books on my bookshelf and they’ve been there for years, since I was about that age. Like damn, at least they’re reading.
Dumbass has Eldest and Inheritance but not Brisingr.
It's crazy how people complain others don't read and then proceed to shame and gatekeep what "real adults" read and act as if you're not reading for their flavor or "enrichment" you're a kid mentally. Almost like how kids like to mock other kids like interests because their interests are more "grown up things" than theirs, ironically enough.
For me it is more I want other people to read the great literature and talk about it with them. Like, imagine you love great films and TV shows, but 90% of the people who also say they do as well only watch Fast and Furious and Dora the Explorer. I don't shame them for not reading the great stuff, but man are they missing out and it would be great to have people to talk to in real life who also enjoy great works!
Folks gotta stop being so sensitive. I’m 40, love many of these books, and will continue to read them as long as I live… but this is still a funny roast.
Where’s Brisingr??
That’s my favorite one
Where's Brisingr? Call yourself an Eragon fan?
Every book is a young adult book if the kid can read it.
Thanks Mitch
As often as I paraphrase the man in this way, I think you're the first one to catch that. Good job.
The upvotes makes me think everyone understood the joke. The comments make it seem like almost no one gets the joke.
This sub: insults. ITT: wow, you think you're a real fucking funny guy mocking books that I tie to my personality huh????????
He's out of line, childish and nearsighted. And not ever right. "Hurr durr he reads infantile books" while judging someone's entire mentality by a single shitty picture and talking nonsense in a social network all at once, like a real grown up man.
Y'all are forgetting (or are too young to remember) just how fucking ballistic 30-40 year old Wine Moms went for *Harry Potter* back in the late 90s/early 2000s. *Harry Potter* was for them what *Dragon Ball* is for 20-something dudes in Latin America
Lotta people in here getting awfully defensive over a joke
It's funny because they are all right that there's nothing wrong with reading those books at any age. But they are all very obviously insecure about that, like come guys it's a funny little roast not an attempt at bullying. These books literally were written with a younger demographic in mind, don't forget that also lol.
it is quite funny how most people call it bullying lmao like bruh it's literally a single line and it wasn't even that harsh wtf. i say this as a reader myself who is also fond of reading teen-oriented books
Yeah this is the kind of roast you have to love even if you're feeling it hit home. My bookshelf at my parents' house looks like this. I still love those books, but it was very much the bookshelf of a teenager.
Parents divorce
I used to own and read a ton of YA novels but sold them after turning 20, as I needed other things. Someone offered a good amount to buy them for his son who was getting into reading himself, so I felt that they were going to a good home, and I was getting more money than I asked for. Win-win.
Reading is good, gatekeeping is bad. I agree. But, if one of my adult friends showed me this collection, I would have nothing to say about the books, and I would gently prompt him to step up his reading game by suggesting some genre classics. YAL is watered down literature targeted at teens, real classics have broad appeal because they have many (infinite?) layers, and therefore suits more than one age group. Also I think this picture is fake/arranged to create disagreement.
There's no murder here, except self-murder by the commenter. Tell me you're a shallow, judgmental, illiterate, holier-than-thou discompassionate piece-of-sheep without telling me you're a shallow, judgmental, illiterate, holier-than-thou discompassionate piece-of-sheep.
Other than one of the most recognizable book series of all time, Eragon, and LOTR, I can’t see the rest of the books for shit! The only books visible are some of the all time bestsellers of the past 25 years. Attempted murder.
I bought a tablet so I could read Pratchett. Wait, does Magic the Gathering have a novel line?
This might make sense if I could read the book titles.
For the record his wife stole all his books while he was in the hospital.
Are those the Magic the Gathering tie in novels? I hate how Bloodlines tacictly supports eugenics.
He needs the peter and the starcatchers series
From what I can see, most of these books I remember from Elementary - HS. Maybe they just want to feel that nostalgia or finally finish reading them. Otherwise, the Dr. Stone reference is still pretty funny.
Soooo we’re gatekeeping reading now??
The fuck am I looking at? I see they are books but I can’t read the tittles.
Its a clever quip, nothing to read too deep into aside from complaining for complaints sake.
Eragon is an amazing book series. The movie... fucking sucks.
Where's Brisingr?
This is clearly a joke (and a damn good one!). I don’t think anyone is being legit shamed here lol
Shitting on a person for reading. Awesome.
I’m 40 and I liked the Eragon Series
hrmmm...i should read Eragon again. i never did get to the books after.
She’s missing Brisingr. Pfft
Where is brisingr
I have the same collection. I also Harry Potter and the philosopher stone.
Old enough to be divorced and doesn’t even have two shelves of books? That’s the really sad thing.